County seeks to answer questions,
fix issues with vaccine registration system
TRI-CITY AREA — The St. Clair County Health Department launched a new COVID-19 vaccine pre-registration system on February 5. This system allows those who live and work in St. Clair County to request a COVID-19 vaccination appointment. Since its launch, health department staff have fielded numerous questions regarding the program and have sought to address them by issuing the following FAQs (frequently asked questions) and answers document. County officials say they are also working on fixing some technical issues with the system’s provider, the Everbridge Company.
Q. What is the phone number, text code or email address that will accompany the notification?
A. Phone: (781) 373-9800; Text ID: 88911; Email from: St. Clair County Vaccine Distribution. The caller ID may identify as a Massachusetts phone number. Officials are looking into updating with a local number.
Q. How do I know I signed up properly in the system?
A. You will not receive a message stating you are pre-registered. Create a user name and password to sign up. Complete the fields, save all pages and hit finalize at the end.
Q. Can I go back in and edit my account information?
A. It appears the system tracks the date of your last entry and may move you from your original placement if you make changes. Be as accurate as possible when signing up.
Q.What if I registered multiple people using the same contact information (phone number, email)?
A. Each person registered should receive a separate confirmation. The appointment confirmation will list first name, last name, appointment date/time and clinic location. It will arrive via the method(s) you selected to receive notifications. Whatever method you confirm first on accepts the invitation.
Q.What if I missed my window to confirm my appointment?
A. Each person has one hour to respond. If you missed your window, you will be contacted as soon as the next appointment becomes available. You do not lose your placement and will be notified again. Please do not show up at a clinic if you did not receive a confirmation.
Q. Who can sign up/pre-register?
A. All individuals living or working in St. Clair County can pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine on the health department’s website www.scchealth.co click on the “Pre-Registration for COVID-19 Vaccine” link. Only individuals in the current priority groups will receive a notification when an appointment become available. This is all dependent on vaccine supply, which currently remains limited. Therefore, it will take time to move through the list.
For seniors 65 and older needing assistance with the online pre-registration process options include:
•Asking a family member, friend or neighbor for help
•Council on Aging/Call 1-800-297-0099 or your local senior center
•Dial 211 for assistance
“We apologize for
any technical difficulties people may be having. We are working on solutions. We know that almost 10,000 people have pre-registered in the system thus far. Our first clinic utilizing the new process is tomorrow and those individuals have already been notified. With any new system implementation there are always process improvements that will need to be made. Thank you for your patience as we work through them,” said Dr. Annette Mercatante, Medical Health Officer.
A vaccination clinic scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 16, was canceled due to the weather conditions. It has been rescheduled and will be combined with another clinic currently scheduled on Thursday, February 18, from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. at the Blue Water Convention Center. Individuals who had an appointment on Tuesday, should plan for the same appointment time on Thursday.
Those unable to attend the rescheduled clinic occurring on Thursday, are being asked to send an email to covid19@stclaircounty.org or call the health department today during regular business hours at 810-987-5300 or 810-966-4163.
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COVID-19 statistics from St. Clair County show the situation continuing to improve as the number of new virus cases declines.
There were 95 new cases reported between Feb. 9-15 for a total of 8,470. That’s a slight drop from the 106 reported the week prior. An additional nine residents died from the virus—the same number recorded the week earlier.
The number of active cases is also dropping, going from 1,870 as of Feb. 8 to 1,766 as of Feb. 15.
Updated numbers from Lapeer County weren’t available by press time.